Rattlin' Bones
Kasey Chambers; Shane Nicholson Lyrics
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Sun don't shine no more
Late one night, sorrow come round
Scratching at my door
But I cut my hands and break my back
Dragging this bag of stones
Till they bury me down beneath the ground
Left my home and left my love
Caught on a rusty nail
Devil rose up heavy with gold
My soul's not for sale
Then a holy man in a house of God
He offered me a book of prayer
But when I left my home and I left my love
Left my faith back there
Smoke don't rise, fuel don't burn
Sun don't shine no more
Late one night, sorrow come round
Scratching at my door
But I cut my hands and break my back
Dragging this bag of stones
Till they bury me down beneath the ground
With the dust and rattling bones
Shut my eyes and hang my head
Darkness makes no sound
Climb it up, bottom there
Earth's on the way back down
When a sadness falls on the morning bird
Wonder what the day will bring
But I shut my eyes and hang my head
At least that bird can sing
Smoke don't rise, fuel don't burn
Sun don't shine no more
Late one night, sorrow come round
Scratching at my door
But I cut my hands and break my back
Dragging this bag of stones
Till they bury me down beneath the ground
With the dust and rattling bones
Till they bury me down beneath the ground
With the dust and rattling bones
The lyrics of "Rattlin' Bones" portray a poignant story of a person who has left their home and loved ones and wandered aimlessly through life searching for something that they cannot seem to find. The opening lines of the song create the mood of hopelessness and despair as they describe the absence of elements required for survival – smoke, fuel, and sunlight. This is further reinforced by the metaphor of "sorrow" scratching at the door, a manifestation of the singer's internal demons. The act of cutting hands and breaking back to drag a bag of stones represents the physical toll of carrying emotional baggage that pulls the person down. The image of being buried down beneath the ground with dust and rattling bones completes the cycle of life - to be returned to the earth from where we came, and to become a part of the natural decay.
The singer's search for meaning takes them to various places, including the house of God, where a holy man offers them a book of prayer, but they find no solace or respite from their inner turmoil. The reference to the devil rising up heavy with gold is the temptation of worldly possessions that the singer must resist to retain their integrity. The metaphor of shutting one's eyes and hanging their head denotes the weight of grief and despair, but the bird's ability to sing shows that hope is not lost entirely. The last line, "till they bury me down beneath the ground with the dust and rattling bones," once again reinforces the inevitability of death and the return to the natural cycle of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Smoke don't rise, fuel don't burn
Things are not going well and nothing seems to work
Sun don't shine no more
There is no hope left
Late one night, sorrow come round
Emotional pain comes to haunt
Scratching at my door
Demanding attention and acknowledgement
But I cut my hands and break my back
I work tirelessly with physical pain and emotional turmoil
Dragging this bag of stones
Struggling to carry the weight of my past and present
Till they bury me down beneath the ground
Until I die and am buried
With the dust and rattling bones
With nothing but decay and remnants of my physical being
Left my home and left my love
I abandoned everything I held dear
Caught on a rusty nail
I was sidetracked by a trivial issue
Devil rose up heavy with gold
Temptation and greed offered a false reward
My soul's not for sale
I don't compromise my values for material gain
Then a holy man in a house of God
A religious figure offered guidance
He offered me a book of prayer
He suggested spiritual comfort
But when I left my home and I left my love
I turned my back on everything I used to believe in
Left my faith back there
I abandoned my belief system
Shut my eyes and hang my head
I'm in despair and inconsolable
Darkness makes no sound
I feel alone and unsupported
Climb it up, bottom there
Things can't get any worse
Earth's on the way back down
Nothing is going right
When a sadness falls on the morning bird
I wonder what troubles the day will bring
Wonder what the day will bring
I'm uncertain about what the future holds
At least that bird can sing
Even though things are bad, there is still beauty in the world
Till they bury me down beneath the ground
Until I die and am buried
With the dust and rattling bones
With nothing but decay and remnants of my physical being
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KASEY CHAMBERS, SHANE ANTHONY NICHOLSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mutsivadeo658
Smoke don't rise, fuel don't burn
Sun don't shine no more
Late one night, sorrow come round
Scratching at my door
But I cut my hands and break my back
Dragging this bag of stones
Till they bury me down beneath the ground
With the dust and rattling bones
Left my home and left my love
Caught on a rusty nail
Devil rose up heavy with gold
My soul's not for sale
Then a holy man in a house of God
He offered me a book of prayer
But when I left my home and I left my love
Left my faith back there
Smoke don't rise, fuel don't burn
Sun don't shine no more
Late one night, sorrow come round
Scratching at my door
But I cut my hands and break my back
Dragging this bag of stones
Till they bury me down beneath the ground
With the dust and rattling bones
Shut my eyes and hang my head
Darkness makes no sound
Climb it up, bottom there
Earth's on the way back down
When a sadness falls on the morning bird
Wonder what the day will bring
But I shut my eyes and hang my head
At least that bird can sing
Smoke don't rise, fuel don't burn
Sun don't shine no more
Late one night, sorrow come round
Scratching at my door
But I cut my hands and break my back
Dragging this bag of stones
Till they bury me down beneath the ground
With the dust and rattling bones
Till they bury me down beneath the ground
With the dust and rattling bones
@MadeinHell2
I googled "I don't like country music but I love johnny cash" and I got this. I might have to reconsider my stance on this genre
@mihayredouane
poor guy
@ouripad3842
I'M EXACTLY THE SAME!,,, I LIKE jC and I LOVE this!!! 💖💖💖💖😍😍😍😍😍 And I'm pure Rock n Roll 🤘🤘
@mikeberry221
J C is about country as it gets. Classic or outlaw
@charlespayne2002
This is what country once was..
@jimbronson687
@@ouripad3842 Same hear bud. Interestingly the beat of this piece sounds very much like something from 60s or 70s rock. Have yet to figure it out. Most Rock and bluegrass music got its start in Blues. This one certainly did. JC for sure. CCR, 3 dog night Stones Beatles all used a blues beat. Ya know this has some soggy nottom boys in it as well. But like you guys I ain't big on county. But Chris Issac wicked ways was good as is Blue Monday from fats domino. Music is so cool. Nothing but math really, Math converted to sound.
@bullroarer-took
Call/recall for the win. Would love to see more of this kind of music by modern artists
@theghostflame
I'm a rapper and this is one of my favourite songs in 32 years on the planet.
@4u21nder
I love the way their voices just perfectly harmonize and that sideways twang of the song. It's like some fusion of bohemian backwoods barefoot country with a timeless quality to it, like they know they're damned, they came from somewhere, trying to go somewhere else, but not in any hurry kind of vibe. Very unique and fresh to my ears.
@kyliehayes1947
, X Games to my z a clue zlz, a half till l, likelihood,,,lxlxlxlXlxllxl
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